Blog entry #7
Garodia | G Block | Grand i10 | Grit
Garodia
I went to PG Garodia English High School (ICSE) or PGGEHS, or simply, Garodia school for 11 years: grades 1 through 10 + Senior KG (or UKG in other cities). LKG, or lower kindergarten was at Little Angels’ School in Sion. Schooling was at Garodia because we moved to Ghatkopar (in Mumbai) when I was 5. More than learning academics, I think I picked up Gujarati a lot more easily, due to continuous exposure every single day. I became so fluent by the 10th grade, that I joined the Gujarati cultural association in college and fit right in! The school was walkable from home, it took about 20 minutes - and it felt like a piece of cake, even with a heavy school bag on my back. How many kids these days walk to school?
G Block (Hyderabad)
In BITS, the campus was divided into: Hostels, Mess, Football field, CP (Connaught Place) where there were shops, bank, and a small restaurant, and the Academic Block (Acad block) - blocks A to G, each with its own subject department. My favourite was the G Block, because it had the library - my favourite hangout spot - yes I’m a geek, and I’m proud to be one :) A few days before and during tests and exams, you’d find it bustling with activity - people would turn into extreme studious freaks, devouring or pretending to devour their textbooks, their sincere friends’ notes, and what have you. For me, I preferred staying in my room during these times, because the library was akin to a 'study party', where there’s less of studying and more of talking, or in this case, whispering. During normal days, I would love to sit all day in the library, reading not only academic stuff, but being an avid reader, a lot of fiction and non-fiction books. Not surprisingly, I befriended the librarian due to my frequency of borrowing and returning different kinds of books, sometimes eliciting an eyebrow raise from her, while she entered into her system: The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen. Don’t widen your eyes in shock, I just like exploring different genres, that’s all.
Grand i10
It’s been 2 years since I bought my own car, in Chennai, and nothing else has ever made me feel so empowered. As Irrfan Khan rightly tells Deepika in Piku: "Driving liberates a woman". It is one of the most satisfying experiences, to drive well, and it’s not about the speed, which doesn’t excite my anyway, but the fact that a mere press of the right leg can make a whole machine that contains you and others move from one distant place to another. After test driving only two cars - the Brio and the Grand i10, I settled on my choice: Grand i10 Sportz, colour: Star Dust, transmission mode: automatic. May 24, 2018 - A Day to Remember.
Grit
Definition: "To have grit means you have courage and show the strength of your character." I think when one moves out of Mumbai, other than New York or Tokyo, I think one needs to have grit to be able to adapt to living in any other city. New kinds of people, different way of living, even the vegetables you find in Mumbai versus those you find in Bangalore and Chennai largely differ! For instance, you’ll never find small, light-green cucumbers in other cities, and you won’t find soft water in other cities. In Mumbai you can simply drink tap water, without it posing a threat to your health. I think the thing that scared me the most though, was the way people drove in Bangalore - it’s like living a scene out of NFS or Road Rash. They drive so close you feel the mirrors of your car and theirs can high-five each other, which is what happens most of the times! Along with grit, I learnt to also build my resilience, and not take offence. Quoting Brian Tracy: "Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
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